Rudder



H. F. SHAW RUDDER Filed Dec. 21, 1956 MW m W m W m E m 5 bars 9 are arranged to give Patented Oct. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

2 Claims.

This invention particularly relates to rudders for river boats, tow boats, or the like, and has for one of its objects the provision of a rudder having a novel construction.

The above and further objects will become apparent by referring to the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of one embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the rudder and rudder operating stem shown in Figure 1; and,

Figure 3 is a plan of the rudder shown in Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 2 indicates generally a rudder for a river boat, tow boat, or the like. The sides of the rudder 2 are preferably made from two flat,

smooth-surfaced metal plates or sheets 4 and 6.

A plurality of channels B'are riveted, welded, or otherwise secured between the plates 4 and 6 to hold them in unitary spaced parallel relation. Channels or bars 9 may extend between the channels 8 and be welded to the .sides 4 and 6. As the plates 4 and 6 are subject to severe stresses when the rudder 2 is in use, the channels 8 and to the plates 4 and 6.

To form a hollow water-tight body from the plates 4 and 6 and the channels 8, strips It], made from metal plate or sheet, are secured between the plates 4 and 6, as close to the edges thereof as is possible. The strips l0 and the channels 8 are secured to the plates 4 and 6 in such a manner that they form a strong, smoothsurfaced body therewith. The smooth surface permits the rudder 2 to move through water with a minimum of disturbance and friction therewith.

The rudder 2 is constructed and arranged to be assembled as a unit and then attached to the rudder operating stem which controls its position. A flange l2, which is adapted to be engaged with the rudder operating stem, extends at right angles to the plane of the rudder 2 and is secured to the rudder intermediate its ends by the desired strength welding or any other suitable means, such as brackets I4. A metal plate I6, or a similar device, can be carried by the rudder 2 so that, if the boat has a plurality of rudders, a connectingrod or bar can be secured between the rudders to unify their motion.

A feature of this invention is the use of a welded construction throughout because that construction is adapted to produce the maximum strength of the assembled parts. As the rudder 2 is hollow and the weight of the rudder 2 should be held to a minimum amount, it is highly important that the rudder 2 be made water-tight. By welding the parts of the rudder 2 together, a water-tight unit is made without breaking the smooth outer surface of the sheets 4 and 6.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A water-tight rudder comprising a pair of spaced parallel metal plates, channel members welded to and between said plates for spacing and securely holding them in spaced relation, 2. metal strip extending between andjoining the plates and continuously welded to the edges thereof to provide an integral hollow buoyant body having a smooth outer surface, and a flange carried thereby for attaching said rudder to a rudder operating stem.

2. A water-tight rudder comprising a pair of spaced parallel plates, a plurality of metallic members positioned between said plates and attached to the inner surfaces thereof holding them in spaced relation, some of said members being arranged horizontally and the others vertically of said rudder, a metallic strip extending between and joining the plates around the edges thereof to provide an integral hollow buoyant body having a smooth outer surface, and means for attaching said body to a rudder operating device.

HARRY F. SHAW. 

